A walk-in closet ( North American) or walk-in wardrobe ( UK) or dressing room is typically a large closet, wardrobe or room that is primarily intended for storing

clothes Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials ...

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serves the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves th ...

etc., and being used as a

changing room A changing-room, locker-room, (usually in a sports, theater, or staff context) or changeroom (regional use) is a room or area designated for changing one's clothes. Changing-rooms are provided in a semi-public situation to enable people to ch ...

. As the name suggests, walk-in closets are closets sufficiently big as to allow one to walk into them to browse through the items. It is often a small room with wall-mounted cabinet,

shelf Shelf ( : shelves) may refer to: * Shelf (storage), a flat horizontal surface used for display and storage Geology * Continental shelf, the extended perimeter of a continent, usually covered by shallow seas * Ice shelf, a thick platform of ice f ...

and

drawers A drawer is a box-shaped container inside a piece of furniture that can be pulled out horizontally to access its contents. Drawers are built into numerous types of furniture, including cabinets, chests of drawers (bureaus), desks, and the l ...

, and these can either be with or without doors (for example sliding doors). Walk-in closets often do not have doors in front of shelves, which can give a better overview of the clothes, but also leads to more dust. When the walk-in closet is large enough for dressing and undressing, the wardrobe is often also equipped with one or more mirrors. The room should also have good lighting, and a bench or chair can be handy. A dressing table is sometimes also found in the walk-in closet, and such dual use can relieve congestion around other rooms such as bathrooms. One advantage of a walk-in closet is that it makes it possible to collect most clothes in one room, which can relieve space in the other rooms in the house. Conversely, however, an extra room would often be needed for the walk-in closet. Walk-in closets are generally thought of as being a luxury feature seen in wealthier homes.

History

Ancient Roman soldiers were among the first developers of the modern-day walk-in closet when they invented the armarium, a wooden box for the use of transporting weapons and armour to every military camp. The first walk-in closet was developed in the Kingdom of France in the storing of weapons and art techniques. In the 18th century, pieces became the common way to store clothing, along with shelves and drawers, which usually featured a hanging section for cloaks and other long garments. For the first time, in the 1870s, the

hanging rod Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...

was incorporated in the walk-in closet.

The Dakota The Dakota, also known as the Dakota Apartments, is a Housing cooperative, cooperative apartment building at 1 West 72nd Street (Manhattan), 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The Dakota was construc ...

, a luxurious apartment in New York City, broke ground in 1880, when it featured some of the United States' first reach-in closets specifically designed for clothes. In the 1950s, the walk-in closet gained popularity in the middle and lower class houses, particularly in suburban residential areas.

References

{{architecture-stub Furniture Rooms

History

See also

References